Dog owners have been warned to be on their guard after men driving a van targeted a woman while she was out walking on her own.

Anne-Marie South was walking her two pugs Charlie and Betty at Church Hill in the village of Charing Heath when the men pulled up in the lane beside her.

One of the men attempted to snatch the leads from her, and in the tussle she fell to the ground and suffered scratches and injuries to her arm.

She said: “I was walking down the road when the scruffy Transit van pulled up beside me. I thought at first they were stopping to ask for directions.

“One guy got out and started saying that they were lovely dogs, and asked if they were pugs or French bulldogs.

“Then he went to grab the leads from my hand. The last thing I wanted to do was let the dogs go. One is quite friendly, while the other was growling.”

The attackers were apparently disturbed by a passing pickup truck and fled the area, but Mrs South said it has left her shaken.

She added: “Barely a week goes by without hearing about this sort of thing happening, it seems to be more and more common.

“I think the passing truck must have frightened them, otherwise I don’t know how it would have ended.

“He was determined to get the leads off me, that’s for sure. I won’t be taking the dogs out on my own again. I’ll stick to doing it as a family rather than on my own.”

She has warned other dog owners to be aware of the threat, and said the man who approached her was in his 40s and about 6ft tall with short dark brown hair and a scar under his left eye.

The police say they are investigating the attempted robbery which took place at 1.20pm today.

Witnesses to the incident or anyone with information can call 01843 222289 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and quote reference number ZY/18968/17.